David Howell (January 1, 1747 – July 30, 1824) was a Delegate to the

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island,

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and a

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of the

United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (in case citations, D.R.I.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified th ...

Education and career

Born on January 1, 1747, in Morristown, Morris County,

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after the ...

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, Howell attended Eaton's Academy in Hopewell, Province of New Jersey, then graduated from the College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

) in 1766 and received an Artium Magister degree in 1769 from Rhode Island College (now

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

). He was a Professor of

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at Brown University from 1766 to 1824, also serving as a

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from 1773 to 1824, as Secretary from 1780 to 1806, and as Acting President from 1791 to 1792. He was in private practice in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

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(State of

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from July 4, 1776) from 1768 to 1779, and from 1781 to 1782. He was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Providence in 1779. He was a justice of the Rhode Island Court of Common Pleas for

Providence County Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state capi ...

in 1780. He was a Delegate to the

(

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

) from 1782 to 1785. He was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island from May 1786 to May 1787. He was

in 1789. He was a boundary commissioner for the United States in

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in 1794.

Notable legal apprentice

Among the prospective attorneys who studied law with Howell was Asa Aldis, who later served as chief justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

Federal judicial service

Howell was nominated by President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

on November 12, 1812, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge David L. Barnes. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on November 16, 1812, and received his commission on November 17, 1812. His service terminated on July 30, 1824, due to his death in Providence. He was interred in

North Burial Ground The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island dating to 1700, the first public cemetery in Providence. It is located north of downtown Providence, bounded by North Main Street, Branch Avenue, the Moshassuck River, and Ceme ...

in Providence.

Family

Howell was the father of Jeremiah B. Howell, a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Rhode Island.

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, David 1747 births 1824 deaths Continental Congressmen from Rhode Island 18th-century American politicians Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island United States federal judges appointed by James Madison 19th-century American judges Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Presidents of Brown University Brown University faculty People of colonial Rhode Island People of colonial New Jersey Princeton University alumni Rhode Island Attorneys General People from Morristown, New Jersey Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence) Brown University alumni